Closet.



.9, H. POPE.

CLOSET.

APPHCATION FILED JULY 21. 1918.

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To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMEs .HATHAWAY Porn, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the borough of Brooklyn, city of New York, county of Kings, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Closets, of which the following-is a specification.

My invention relates to closets, and the principal object thereof is to provide improved means for lifting the closet seat to adapt the closet for use as a urinal without danger of soiling the seat. The invention contemplates the provision of an improved device of the character referred to whereby the necessity of touching the closet seat to sheet the lifting thereof is avoided. In carrying out the inventionl most desirably operate the seat-lifting device by water or other fluid, the water'in the case of the on dinary closet being at hand and available for such use. i 1

Further objects, features and advantages will more clearly appearwfrom the detailed description given below taken inconn'ection with the accompanying drawing which forms a part of this specification. In the drawing lFigure lisa view partly in side elevation andpartly in section of a closet embodying my invention in one form, the seat being shownin elevated position.

Fig. 2 is a view of the same partly in plan and partly in sectionon the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, the closet seat being shown in lowered position. v Referring to the drawings,the numeral 1 designates the closet bowl which has a seat 2 hinged thereto for movement about the axis of pivot 3. The closet seat proper is carried by abracket 4c which extends rearwardly of the pivot 3, the rear portion thereof being connected to the operating mechanism of the lifting device. The latter, as shown, comprises a vertical cylinder 5 in which a piston 6 fits for up and down movement, the piston rod 7 being connected to the outer portion of the rear extension of bracket 4 so as to cause the seat to move about the axis of pivot 3 into raised or normal lowered position upon the reciprocation of the piston. As shown. the piston rod is provided with a pin ,8 snaabie alcng a longitudinal slot 9. in the rear portion of bracket 4. The downward movement of the piston islimited by stop 10 which is adjustable along the cylinder 5 to" permit variation of the height to which the seat may be elevated. The cylinder 5 is to the atmosphere at the bottom, the lipper portion of the cylinder being connected to a source of fluid under pressure; As shown the cylinder in which the pisten' 5 operates is formed as the lower portion of a long vertical water siipp'ly pipel2; but the eylinder ma be connected to the source'of fluid supply in any desirable manner; ,A pivoted valve 1% serves to control the passage ef fluid from the source to the cylinder 5, the valve, as shown, having a weighted operating handle tending normally to move the valve to closed position. Between the valve 14 and the uppermost position assumedjby the piston 6, an outlet or dischargepipe'le leads from the cylinder 5 to the closet bdwl. This outlet is controlled by an autdinatic valve which substantially closes the outlet as long as the valve 14: is open and opens the same to permit discharge of fluid from the cylinder and the lowering of the seat when valve 1 1 is moved into closed pdsitidn. The outlet valve, as shown, comprises a ball 16 of metal or other suitable material bf slightly larger diameter than the interier of the outlet pipe 15, the said ballre'sting on an inclined support 17 secured within the cylinder and down which the ball-tends to .move to a position over the inner end of the outletpipe. Means, such as the small projection 15 adapted to engege the ball, insures a slight opening for the saw of fluid from the cylinder 5 through pipe 15 and prevents entire closinguof the pipe 15 by the ball. The support 17 should permit the ready flow of the fluid from (me side to the other thereof; and to this end I have shown the said support as fbrmedo'f a wire screen. a

Normally valve 14- will be closed and the seat 2 in its lowered position in operative relation to the bowl 1. When it is desired to use the bowl as a urinal, thehandle 14. is elevated to open the valve 14 whereupon the pressure of the fluid entering cylinder 5 exerts a pressure on the upper surface of piston 6 which is sufficiently greater than the atmospheric pressure on the lower surface thereof to cause the piston to move downwardly into engagement with the stop 10, thereby effecting the elevation of the seat. During this operation the valve 16 is held firmly in approximately closed position with respect to the outlet pipe 15, not only by reason of its tendency to remain in its lowermost position upon the support 17, but also by the fluid pressure thereon. The escape of a small amount of fluid past the valvel6 into the pipe 15 does not interfere with this operation. As long as the valve l t is in open position the piston 6 will remain in its lowered position in engagement wlth the stop 10, and the seat 2 will be held elevated. To cause the seat to move downwardly again to its lowered position the handle 14 is released whereupon valve l4 moves to its closed position. As soon as this happens, the supply of fluid under pressure is cut off from cylinder 5 and the seat 2 by reason its weight moves the piston 6 upwardly and causes the fluid in the lower end of the cylinder 5 to be discharged through pipe 15 into bowl 1. During this operation the fluid passing into the discharge pipe from cylinder 5 sets up a current which forces valve 16 away from the discharge pipe to increase the size of the discharge opening out of the cylinder 5,

thus permitting a rapid discharge of the @fluid from the said cylinder and a rapid yet cushioned lowering of the seat.

Although Ihave described my improvement in considerable detail and in respect to one particular embodiment of my invention, nevertheless, I-do not desire to be limited to the details shown and described except where clearly set out in the appended claims, since many changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having fully and clearly described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1,. The combination with a closet seat, of fluid operated means for lifting the same, and means for controlling the operation of said fluid operated means.

2. The combination with a closet seat, of fluid pressure operated means for lifting the same, means comprising a valve for controlling the supply of fluid under pressure to said lifting means, and a valve for controlling the exhaust of the said fluid from said lifting means. i

3. The combination with a closet seat, of fluid pressure operated means for lifting the same, means comprising a valve for controlling the supply of fluid under pressure of said lifting means, and a valve for controlling the exhaust of the said fluid from said lifting means, said last named valve being operative when said first named valve is opened and being automatically rendered inoperative when said first named valve is closed.

4. The combination with means for lifting the same comprising a cylinder, a piston therein, and means for producing a difference of fluid pressure on opposite sides of the piston to cause the latter to move to effect the lifting of the seat.

5. The combination with a closet seat, of means for lifting the same comprising a cylinder, connected to a source of fluid under pressure, a piston in said cylinder connected with said seat to move the same, means for controlling the admission of fluid to said cylinder, and means for controlling the exhaust of fluid from said cylinder.

6. The combination with a closet seat, of means for lifting the same comprising a cylinder connected to a source of fluid under pressure, a piston in said cylinder connected with said seat to move the same, means for controlling the admission of fluid to said cylinder, and automatic means for controlling the exhaust of fluid from said cylinder.

7. The combination with a closet seat of fluid operated means for lifting the same, said means comprising a cylinder, a piston therein, a valve for controlling the flow of fluid relatively to said cylinder to create a difference of pressure on opposite sides of said piston, and an automatic valve substantially closing said cylinder when said first named valve is opened and automatically opening said cylinder when said first named valve is closed.

8. The combination with a closet bowl and a closet seat, of

a seat in operative relation thereto, of fluidpressure operated means for lifting said seat, means for supplying fluid to said fluid pres sure operated means, and means for discharging fluid from said fluid pressure operated means to said bowl.

9. The combination with a closet bowl and a seat in operative relation thereto, of fluid pressure operated means for lifting said seat, means provided with a controlling valve for supplying fluid to said fluid pressure operated means, means for discharging fluid from said fluid pressure operated means to said bowl, and an automatic valve for controlling said discharging means, said automatic valve being substantially closed when said first named valve is opened and being automatically opened when said first named valve is closed.

10. The combination with a closet seat, of fluid operated means for elevating the same, said means including a member movable by difference of fluid pressure on opposite sides thereof, and means for limiting the movethe same, the downward movement. of the ment of said member, said last named means seat operating said means to cause the disbeing adjustable to permit variation of the charge of fluid therefrom. 1 height to which the seat may be elevated. In testimony whereof, I have signed my 5 11. The combination with a closet seat name to this specification.

tending to move downwardly to closed position, of fluid pressure means for elevating JAMES HATHAWAY POPE.

Gopiea of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of. Patents. Washington, D, G. 

